Have We Met Before?
by Dell Hopkins
Summary: Most of his memories having disappeared and finding himself a young man, Finn emerges to the Land of Ooo reborn after a fall into the Well of Power. As he searches for the answer to his amnesia, Finn begins to experience the world in new ways. Keeping him going through it all is his desire to find the woman whose voice he could only remember. Rating subject to change. HIATUS.


I want to swim away but don't know how  
Sometimes it feels just like I'm falling in the ocean  
Let the waves up take me down  
Let the hurricane set in motion... yeah  
Let the rain of what I feel right now...come down  
-Blue October "Into The Ocean"

* * *

"Finn, look out!"

The warning caused the adventurer to grit his teeth and side step the lunge of one of the Lich's undead minions. He quickly brought his sword down on creature's skull, ending its cursed existence. Around him, many others just like it began to arise from the ground in a nightmarish fashion.

Finn's companions, who consisted of Marceline the Vampire Queen and Jake the Dog, moved up beside him to lend support and acknowledged him with a nod. He took a moment to return it before rushing into the swelling undead horde.

As they entered combat with the monstrosities, Finn mused that even a great and powerful entity as the Lich hid behind a wall of minions. He wasn't sure if it was done purposely, or as a method to soften up the trio before they confronted the undead mage himself. The thought was immediately lost as a familiar female voice cried out somewhere up ahead.

"Bonnibel!" Finn called out and redoubled his efforts. He had only one goal in his mind now, and that was to save Princess Bubblegum. Everything else took back seat, and he would die trying if that was what it took.

The adventurer's friends seemed to notice his new resolve and they too increased their pace. The animated skeletons fell rapidly around them as they fought through the dark underground of what use to be a subway station. They all knew that their horrific master wasn't that far, and he was waiting for them.

Finally, after breaking through the undead mass, the trio reached the hole in the ground that would take them deeper into the Lich's lair. Below they could see the eerie glow of the Well of Power that the undead mage was most likely to use in his destruction of the Land of Ooo.

Finn looked at his friends. "Marceline, Jake, I need you to keep the Lich's skeletons off my back so I can go rescue Princess Bubblegum."

Jake smiled at him and gave him a pat on the back. "You can depend on us Finn. Just be careful against the Lich, he's one bad dude." Increasing the size of his body with his growing powers, the dog turned and charged into the once more growing horde of undead.

Marceline smiled at the human boy and gave him a knowing look. "Have fun saving Bonnibel, Finn. I know you especially love to play hero when it comes to her." She laughed at the light blush that appeared on his face. "Just don't let him get into your head, alright?"

Finn nodded and the Vampire left him standing alone. He glanced once more at the Well of Power before jumping down the hole that was entrance to the floor it was on. Landing on his feet, the adventurer looked around.

He did not see the Lich currently, and he instantly knew that the undead mage was waiting to ambush him. This thought allowed him to dodge the fireball that came from the shadows behind him.

The Lich, a very tall and menacing individual, stepped into the light. In his left arm, he held Princess Bubblegum against him. He let out a chuckl as he noticed the human boy's expression.

"Tell me, hero," the undead mage spoke, "should I just kill this girl now?" He glanced at the barely conscious princess before looking back at the adventurer with a twisted smile on his decaying face. "No, I want her to see you die. It will make my destruction of this land more enjoyable."

Finn moved forward as the Lich tossed Princess Bubblegum at him. He caught her and skidded to his knees, scraping them slightly as he stopped. Relief spread through him as she opened her eyes and looked at him.

"F-Finn?" Bonnibel said weakly, her eyes unfocused.

"You're safe now princess, it's going to be ok." This brought a crackle from the Lich and Finn gave her a determined look. "I'm going to beat this guy like I did the previous time and then get you home. I promise."

He looked up at the undead mage who waited with his arms crossed and moved to place the Candy Princess away from the about to occur fight. After doing so, Finn unsheathed his sword and moved towards his unholy opponent.

"An interesting weapon," The Lich chuckled, and placed the green orbs he had for eyes on it. "Better than using a garment to fight me, I suppose."

"It kicked your butt last time," Finn shot back and charged at him with a yell.

"You are an arrogant little human, hero."

The undead mage's hands ignited with the flames of his dark magic and he launched fireballs at the adventurer as he came closer. Finn avoided them and came within range to swing at the Lich, who proved as he had in their previous encounter that his size did not slow him down.

Their combat was best described as a deadly game of cat-and-mouse. Both Finn and the Lich were powerful beings, and the favor constantly shifted. In their struggle, they did not take notice of the Princess Bubblegum who was slowly begging to recover.

She blinked, clearing away some blur from her vision. A battle raged before her, moving rapidly around the Well of Power. Thoughts of it immediately caused her to press her back against the wall behind her, despite the pit of unholy energy being a safe distance away. She had fallen in once, and was not going to repeat it.

Bonnibel turned her attention to the fight and was immediately concerned as she watched Finn move around the Lich's attacks in order to get within sword swinging distance. Even though he was young, she admitted he was truly something else.

There were many occasions in the princess's mind where the human boy had proven that he wanted nothing more than to help those who inhabited Ooo. Ever since the day they had become friends, she had watched him grow.

However, due to him being much younger than the Candy Princess, their relationship was limited to friends. It was almost sad to her, and she knew that things would be drastically different had he been a little older.

Princess Bubblegum gasped as the Lich managed to catch Finn with a surprise fireball. However, he quickly avoided the attack and delivered a powerful one in return. The undead mage flew back, and snarled violently. So focused on the encounter, Princess Bubblegum didn't notice that Marceline had walked up to her. She jumped when the vampire made herself known.

"Relax Bonnibel, it's just me," the Vampire Queen said. She looked at the fight, before turning her attention back to the Candy Princess. "Are you alright?"

"I'm a little shook up, but other than that and a few scratches, I should be fine." Princess Bubblegum looked back at the battle, which was clearly turning against the Lich more and more.

The Lich experienced an internal crisis as he reeled from the attack that the adventurer had been able to connect. It had been bad enough that he had lost after learning that the hero was immune to his mind spells in their previous encounter, but now there was the harsh possibility that he could lose this fight as well. He began to look for an answer of how he could change the odds to be once more in his favor, and the Well of Power suddenly entered the undead mage's thoughts.

If he could get to it and extract energy for a long enough period of time, then he might actually be able to outlast the human boy.

Finn judged that the fight would soon come to an end. After delivering the last blow, the Lich seemed significantly slower. Experience told the adventurer to watch his enemy's movements, for they would begin to turn desperate if he realized that the fight was not going well for him.

This proved to be true when the Lich launched a particularly larger fireball and made a dash for the Well of Power. Finn avoided the attack, and charged towards the undead mage who was now bent over the pit of unholy energy.

"No you don't!" he screamed at the necrotic being and launched himself into the air to bring his sword down on the undead.

The Lich, who realized that his gamble had failed, turned and began to summon his fire once more in a last ditch effort to save himself. He immediately stopped when Finn's blade was impacted on his skull.

There was a loud crack, and the undead mage fell backwards into the Well of Power. Although it was a source of energy that he used to increase his strength, the Lich was never meant to be bathed within the unholy pool. He shouted in pain before disappearing beneath the surface.

Finn breathed heavily for a moment, watching the pit of energy before looking back to where he had set down Princess Bubblegum. He happily saw that she was fully conscious, and he returned the smile that she gave him. Jake and Marceline gave him similar signs of approval and cheer.

He began to walk over to them, glad that everyone had survived the ordeal. He was also pleased that the Princess would not be injured any further due to an accident as the last time had gone because of the Ice King.

It was then Finn noticed that all his friends now held horrified expressions on their faces. He frowned before the sudden realization that he was in danger entered his head. By the time their cries reached his ears, it was already too late and he was already in the grasp of the Lich's bony hands.

The adventurer felt his sword slip out of his grasp as he was pulled back over the edge of the Well of Power by the undead mage, who seemed to be decaying because of its energies. Just before he entered the pool, he heard the Princess Bubblegum scream out his name.

Finn didn't even cry out as he went under.

* * *

Though the Lich falling back into the Well of Power meant victory, Bonnibel could not get rid of a sudden bad feeling that entered her body. Beside her, Jake and Marceline continued to cheer for adventurer's success and she smiled because of it. She saw Finn look down into the unholy energies before turning his attention to his friends and then ultimately her.

He smiled and began to walk towards them with movements that showed his fatigue from the battle. Princess Bubblegum told herself that she needed to thank him in some sort of special way after he had recovered fully. A random voice in her head once more reminded her it was a shame that hero was younger. She immediately pushed away the following thoughts.

The princess was about to call out to Finn that he had done a good job, but immediately froze when she saw the massive figure rising out of the unholy pit behind him. She automatically knew that the Lich was using the last of his strength to try and make it so he would not fall alone.

The Candy Princess shouted out a warning to the adventurer, with Jake and Marceline doing likewise. It was too late however, and Finn was gripped by the undead mage's hands before being pulled back into the Well of Power. His sword fell from his grasp, and hit the ground with a loud clang.

Bonnibel screamed out Finn's name a second after he disappeared from view, still unbelieving of what had just occurred. Beside her, Marceline dashed forward to the edge of the unholy pool in hopes of saving him if possible.

The Vampire Queen peered into the energies, looking for any sign of the adventurer. She knew that Princess Bubblegum herself had fallen into it before, and had been spit out moments later. With this knowledge in mind, Marceline hoped that Finn would also be rejected from the Well of Power in a similar fashion. She didn't know what his condition would be, but it would be a definite improvement to the dire situation.

Marceline waited anxiously, expecting the next second to be the one where Finn emerged. She muttered to herself that he'd be alright and there was really nothing to worry over. The vampire knew that Finn was strong individual and had survived a lot. He wasn't meant to go out in a way like this.

However, when several moments had passed and he did not emerge, Marceline was suddenly hit with the harsh reality that Finn was really gone. She struggled with it and responded the only way that seemed to be logical at that moment

The Vampire Queen swore loudly, and hit the ground with her fist.

Bonnibel, who sat next to the heartbroken Jake, felt tears come to her eyes. An overwhelming sense of guilt took over her mind and she wished that she had been able to protect herself better so that Finn would still be here with them. The thoughts made her feel even worse, and she began to cry.

Jake touched Princess Bubblegum's shoulder, causing her to look up at him. "It's not your fault PB," he said to her with a sad expression on his face. He then looked up at Marceline, who was walking back to the group with her distress being shown in her movements.

Though the Vampire Queen did not show her sadness in the same manner as Bonnibel had, it was evident in her many actions. Each one showed that she was trying her best not to show how much it was affecting her. The display was meant to give strength to the others despite how grim the situation was, in hopes of helping them through it.

"I'm sorry Bonnibel, but we can't do anything else here," Marceline said in a low tone and looked away from them. "I…I think we should go."

Princess Bubblegum nodded slowly, and she was helped up to a standing position. The Vampire Queen supported and guided her as they began to move in the direction of the exit. After they had gone some distance away from the Well of Power, Bonnibel suddenly remembered that Finn had dropped his weapon before he was pulled into the pool of energy.

"Wait," she said, causing the Vampire Queen to stop and give her a worried look. "Finn's sword, it should be next to the Well of Power." Princess Bubblegum looked at them both. "I can have it enshrined in his memory."

Marceline nodded, and handed the princess over to Jake. She then floated away from them to retrieve the fallen adventurer's weapon. She returned to them a moment later, empty handed and a very confused expression her face.

"What is it?" Jake asked, seeing that the vampire did not have the item.

"It… it isn't there."

"What do you mean it isn't there?" Bonnibel asked, her voice shaking. "I saw him drop it before he disappeared."

"I did too," Marceline responded, "But it was gone when I went back over."

Upset, Princess Bubblegum began to raise her voice. "It can't be gone! I saw it!" Tears once more came to her eyes as she began to experience a break down. "I saw him drop it! The Lich couldn't have taken that as well from me!"

The Vampire Queen moved forward and wrapped an arm around the now sobbing Bonnibel. She glanced at Jake, who wanted to help the princess in any way possible. She gave him an empathetic look.

The canine looked back over at the Lich's unholy pool. The disappearance of Finn's Demon Sword puzzled him greatly as well. He highly doubted the Lich could have resurfaced a second time, and they would have noticed had this occurred.

These facts in mind, Jake briefly thought of the possibility that someone else had taken the sword. The odd theory suggested that this unseen person had been watching the fight, and had waited until they had moved away before going to retrieve it.

Finn's companion shook his head at the ridiculous idea. What possible motives could a person possess to take the adventurer's weapon at that exact moment?

* * *

Though Finn's eyes burned from the energies of the Well of Power, he noticed that the Lich was being broken apart from it. As they descended deeper, the undead mage's grip began to weaken until he disappeared completely and the adventurer was free to

However, Finn now found himself in a current that dragged him down faster than he could possible swim against. He felt strange in the energies of the Lich's power source, and oddly there was no pain in his skin. His head, however, was beginning to hurt greatly.

The liquid around the adventurer suddenly changed and he seemed to finally leave the unholy energies and enter a stream of water. It swept him along what he thought was an underground pipe. His head came up, giving his lungs their much desired air.

There was darkness in the water for a few moments before Finn found himself thrown into the open air and finally into a pool below. He kicked, keeping his head above the surface until he finally made it to land. He coughed up water, and shook his head, his hair now free from his signature hat.

Although he was still experiencing a headache, Finn was thankful to be alive. However, he strangely couldn't remember what it was he had just survived. With a frown, he tried to think of what he had been doing previously, but nothing appeared. It was then that the adventurer realized with some horror that he could not recall any memories prior to emerging from the pipe.

The many things he had forgotten seemed to just on the edge of his memory, but they were slipping away and adventurer could not grasp them. It was tormenting, but he did recall two things clearly. The sudden amnesia had not taken his name from him, and he knew it to be Finn.

The second thing that was still present was the voice of an unknown female, crying it out to him as something tragic was just about to occur. The details were lost, and he suddenly gained an urge to look at his face in hopes that it would be the key to his memory.

Finn turned himself around and made his way to the water's edge. The light from the moon in the sky allowed the liquid to reflect back and he looked into it.

Staring back at Finn was a young man of about nineteen with blue eyes and blond hair. A feeling told him that he was not like this before his incident, but something else told him that it was indeed his prior state.

Shaken, the adventurer crawled away from the water and curled up into a ball. Sleep brought with it even more confusion, as he couldn't remember how he had gotten so exhausted in the first place.

* * *

**And thus I launch my second story. The concept came from a fan-made comic I saw on Deviant Art where Finn becomes Bubblegum's age and loses his memory. However, the Lich was not featured in that one. I wanted to do a story where we have to see Finn adapt to the world with a new understanding to how things work. To see the Land of Ooo in a different aspect than with just the hero's eyes. The adventurer will certainly learn a lot along the way to recovery.**

**A story with this couple is somewhat out of season, as Flame Princess appears to be the new relationship on the show. Had to try my hand at it before it was completely dead. If you are a reader of my other story, I will just say that I will work on updating them at the same time rather than apart.**

**Reviews are of course appreciated. Goodbye for now!**

**Disclaimer, I do not own Adventure Time.**


End file.
